What is it about cowboys?

A computer glitch made it go up super late, but they’ve just posted my blog over at Tote Bags ‘n’ Blogs today. Naturally, I’m talking about Texas.

Do you have a cowboy story? Do you have one in your past, or in your dreams? Come by and share, and you’ll be entered in my “What is it about Texas” contest. Yes, that means you’ll be entered twice, if you’ve also posted here!

PS…I think it’s the hat. When they take two fingers and tilt that hat…. 🙂

Hope to see you over there soon!

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I love, love, love my cowboys and men of the Old West! The love of my life is Sam Elliott : )Sam has no peer as a Western star. Also, his voice alone would make all the seams come loose in your clothes!

Robert Fuller & Robert Horton; James Drury & Doug Mcclure (from “The Virginian”); Peter Breck, Lee Majors, Richard Long (the Barkley brothers from “The Big Valley); The Cartwrights–especially Guy Williams as cousin Will Cartwright (he also had the title role as TV’s Zorro and Professor John Robinson in “Lost in Space”); James Garner as “Maverick” or just James Garner; James Arness, Ken Curtis, Dennis Weaver from “Gunsmoke”; Clint Walker as “Cheyenne”; Lee Horsley from “Paradise”. I love them all, and there are just too many more to mention.

However, one of the greatest TV Men of the West was Stuart Whitman as Marshal Jim Crown in “Cimarron Strip”. In my opinion, this is one of the best westerns ever put on the screen. The episodes which pitted Stuart Whitman against Richard Boone, whose character called Marshall Crown by the name “Tricky Jim” were outstanding! If you can ever find a sexier lawman than Stuart Whitman, please let me know! Those looks, those eyes, that strut and that voice!

Historical Western Romance is my favorite genre. I love westerns of all kinds. Being a Southerner, I also love Civil War romances and stories set in the South. However, for me, nothing beats a western in its purest form. By that, I mean a stalwart cowboy and his lady, the land, and the life. When a cowboy truly loves, he loves with all his heart, forever. His woman is as cherished as his values, his “cowboy code of honor”. Not always in words, but in deep, deep feelings. Feelings as true as the blue of a Texas bluebonnet.

We lived in Nevada when I was in the first grade, and my mother worked in a gift shop. She met lots of celebrities, including Richard Boone. I still have the calling card with the identifying graphic of the chess piece for the “Have Gun— Will Travel” series. Mr. Boone autographed it for Mom!

I also adore John Wayne. Not a perfect man, but my goodness, what a man! From what I’ve seen, read, and heard from his films, and articles and interviews, he was the real deal. I love his older, iconic cowboy image. The scence from True Grit where he takes the horses reins in his mouth, and charges forward, blasting away with two pistols is forever burned in my brain.

John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara in “The Quiet Man” are as close to perfect as possible. This is one of the most beautiful films ever made, and it is one of my all-time favorites. John and Maureen were the best of friends, and they were always a delight to watch together on film.

If you watch John Wayne in his early films, you will see a very sexy, charming, “look ’em in the eye” kind of guy. What a physique! If he focused his undivided attention on a woman, I think she would have been in big, big trouble! No wonder they called him “Duke” : )

Funny you should blog about Texas. Here in Arkansas we tend to regard our neighbor to the southwest as a rival. A friendly rival, of course. The biggest college football rivalry in Arkansas—where there are no pro football teams—is between the Razorbacks of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (my alma mater) and the Longhorns of the University of Texas at Austin. And never underestimate the loyalty of a football fan in this part of the country to his or her favorite team!

Having said all that, yes, cowboys—and westerners in general— fascinate me. And if they happen to be from Texas, well, that’s fine by me too.

I can’t recall offhand the titles of western romances I’ve read. I don’t have any on my keepers shelf (yes, I just checked).

During the heyday of TV westerns in the 50s and 60s, I watched a handful of episodes. But as a fan of pre-contemporary movies, I have much clearer memories of my favorite western films.

Three are especially relevent to this discussion because of their romantic themes. One is “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”. You’ve mentioned elsewhere that this is your favorite film, so I don’t have to remind you (or most of your blog readers, I bet) of the love story of Robert Redford and Katherine Ross.

Another is “Stagecoach” (1939), in which John Wayne plays an outcast gunslinger and Claire Trevor plays—in the parlance of the period—a “woman of the town”. No, that doesn’t mean she’s an urban sophisticate. In the course of the hazard-filled journey with an ensemble of characters on the title conveyance, these two square pegs discover love and redemption. Their story isn’t new, but it’s still touching and memorable.

Finally, there’s “Duel in the Sun” (1947), David Selznick’s romantic saga that wisecracking reviewers dubbed “Lust in the Dust”. It’s overproduced, overheated, overblown, and over the top—and I love it for those very reasons!

Set on a ranch in old Texas, the plot focuses on Jennifer Jones as what was then called a half-breed—and a sexual loose cannon. She’s torn between two brothers: stable, noble-minded Joseph Cotten and moody, rebellious Gregory Peck. No prizes for guessing which one she falls hard for. Trouble ensues, as does much chest-heaving drama—and love scenes that must have just barely squeaked past the Hays Office. They don’t make ’em like that anymore!

Hi, Kathleen & Mary Ann! I actually watched “Duel In The Sun” and “The Stalking Moon” today. Both are great Westerns starring the “most marvelous” Gregory Peck! I really think that he was one of the more handsome and talented Hollywood stars of all time. Such presence, and that voice! Wonderful cheekbones and delicious dark eyes : ) Mary Ann gave a wonderful description of “Duel In The Sun”. The other film, “The Stalking Moon” was made in 1968. Even though Gregory Peck was in his early fifties in this film, he was just as handsome, with an added ruggedness which was perfect for the role. What I learned in researching “The Stalking Moon” was that Gregory Peck was an extremely strong and athletic man who loved to do his own stunts. He was not only intelligent and scholarly, as he so brilliantly portrayed “Atticus Finch” in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, he was quite physically active!

One of the greatest Western films ever, “The Searchers”, starred John Wayne in one of his finest performances. The film was based on the book of the same name by Alan LeMay, who also wrote “The Unforgiven”, which made into a fine film starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn. I watched “The Unforgiven” last night! It also stars Lillian Gish, Audie Murphy, and Doug McClure. Doug played “Trampas” on the legendary TV Western “The Virginian”, which starred James Drury in the title role. I recently purchased the books on which all three films were based. Leisure Books has reissued “THE CLASSIC FILM COLLECTION”–Amazing novels that inspired the greatest movies of the Western genre!

My favorite cowboy is the “Roy Rogers” I married. As a youngster,
Honey had to be Roy when the boys were out playing cowboys. He
would not answer if he was called by any name other than Roy. He
was quite adamant about being called Roy just like his hero! Of
course, after we married the western shows were great favorites for
both of us. My earliest reads were L’Amours and Greys, so the
westerns were a natural progression. All the stars mentioned above
we enjoyed and I will add the show “The Wild, Wild, West” with Ross
Martin and Robert Conrad.

As an elder man (66) I prefer Western actors with a ‘devil may care’ attitude, like there is nothing between them and death. Actors like Jason Robards, Charles Bronson, Gene Hackman, Kevin Costner. But I’m not fond of John Wayne, Mr Braggadocio. Most impressive movie: ‘The Gunfighter’ with a brooding Gregory Peck. Best to you.

Oh, I hadn’t thought of Jason Robards, but he had a style that was one of the best! I was never fond of Wayne, myself, until I saw him in a very early film…maybe Stagecoach?…and realized that he once had a boyish charm. 🙂 And, of course, as an Irish gal I can’t help loving The Quiet Man! Thanks so much for stopping by and reminding me of some of these great names. Gunfighter is indeed wonderful!